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Property And Belongingness: Rethinking Gender-Biased Disinheritance, Dr. Shelly Kreiczer Levy, Dr. Meital Pinto

Dr. Meital Pinto

For centuries, women have been disinherited from family wealth because of cultural traditions and religious rules that suggest their social role does not require an inheritance. Religious or traditionalist testators still adhere to this belief, exercising their testamentary freedom. Moreover, American law respects the testator’s wishes whether they are petty, vindictive or discriminatory. We make the novel argument that the law should not protect gender-biased bequests, as they are contrary to public policy. Our argument centers on a reconfiguration of inheritance in a way that includes its symbolic effect on disinherited relatives, redefining the social, relational and familial role of …